The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-30
IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS.
Gossip and News Regarding the Weeks
DOlngS in the Field and on the Turf.
Excited by Kunters-Need Of a Law Pro-
hibiting Spring Shooting-Notes.

among the rabbits of an adjoining county. After
an hours ride they left the cars and Immediately
hied themselves to the nearest strawstack, where
they commenced operations by uncagipg fer
ret one of the party had brought along The
holes underneath the stack were then stopped
up, save one and the ferret sent on his search
FOR the cottontails The hunters did not have
long to wait before half dozen frightened bun
MES came rushing out of the only hole left for
egress, and these quickly fell victims to the
deadly shotgun. But there thing the
hunters had forgotten, and that was to look out
for trespassng signs. This was brought forcbly
to their minds when they commenced to look for
another strawstack, by seeing enraged six
foot farmer approaching towards them; armed
with a double barreed shotgun and monster
bulldog, whose aeial expression meant business
from the words tseiZe EN-"
Hey" said the farmer, 'can't you fellows
,ead9 Do you see that sign over thereW pointing
10 . board nailed on a tree in one corner of the
ield. which had painted on it the customary le-
gend: mo tresspassing or hunting allowed on
shese premises"
The hunters turned their eyes away from the
dog with the wicked look long enough to see the
sign and were about to apologize to the owner
of the land when he interrupted them by say
Ing:
look here! I'll just give you fellows three
minutes tC git out of here, before turn my dog
loose
Being lew-abiding citizens, ard having no de-
sire for closer acquaintance with his dogship,
who growled and showed his fangs in way that
bodied no good. they hastily gathered their traps
together and made a bee-liue for the public high
way. Here they consulted, and concluded to try
another field short distance from the farmers
house and the other side of the roadway.
This time they carefully looked over the ground
for warning signs, and seeing none started their
If
Strawstacks.
Meanwhile the farmer had boon watching
them from distance, but thinking they were
out of his jurisdiction, the hunters paid no at
teEt:on TO him until they heard his voice again
ordering them away. About this time the rab-
bits made their appearance from under the
stack. and one of the party. who was armed with
a new tangled repeating shotgun, commenced
shooting, firing six or seven shots in about as
many seconds The farmer evidently had never
before heard of such weapon, his
face and actions showed both surprise and
tonishment, mingled with curiosity. He stood
still ard looked on no doubt thinking that his
dog would have stood poor show if he had car
ried out his threat to turn him loose the hunt
ers. When the ferret made its appearance he
could not restrain himself longer and shouted:
There goes a white rabbit! Shoot him,
quick
This was too much for the hunters, and they
lost time in explaining that it was a ferret,
and not rabbit and was used merely to scare
the rabbits out of their holes. The farmer
seemed so much interested in the little animal
that it was proposed to show him how it worked,
If he had no objection. This he readily consent
ed to, saying that, although be did not own the
land on which they were, he had been asked to
see that there was no hunting done on It, but he
thought it would be all right, anyhow. Just
wait minute" said he, until take my dog
home and tie him up. He acts kind o queer
sometimes with strangers, and might hurt your
ferret" When the farmer returned they
tried another strawstack with such
successful results that another and another
were tried, the farmer plotting the way through
q half-dozen fields until the noon hour. when he
asked them to dinner seeming to have forgotten
that few hours previous he had invited TRACE
dy by his threats. After dinner he hitched up
his team, and took the hunters to another part
Of the country, taking the greatest interest III
the sport and even suggesting that they enter
likely grounds, whether protected or not. This
the hunters refused to do, not wishing to en-
courage repetition of the mornings scene. AT
night they left their now fast friend, who ex-
tended TO them invitation to come back as
often they wished.
The moral Of this story is that if huntei
wants TO get on the right side of farmer, it il
better to arouse his curiosity than his anger.
'SThere are few sportsmen," remarked j. E
Isgrigg to journal reporter, "who will no
agree with me in Saying the quail-sbooting WI
have around here is hard work When you ar
compelled to get up at o'clock in the morning
in order to catch train that will take you GU
of range of the thousand and one shooters of tn
city, including the small boy with the singh
barrel as well as the professional who has moth
Ing else to do but hunt every day, in season am
ont. ard after riding an hour or more, you ar
landed at some small station twenty five mile
put, where you wait another hour for daylight
then start out and tramp ten or fiji
teen miles, and if you are in goo
luck you may find one or two coveys. possibl,
none, you manage to keep out until dark tryin,
to add another bird to your bag, them coming
10 the station, where you wait three hours NOR
for the train to bring you back to the city, yo,
get home about midnight. with half dozel
quais, worth ten cents piece. having been u
the better part Of two nights you find yoursel
the next morning totally unfit for business, an
your half dozen birds represents the best part o
q hve-dolar bill you had broken to pay for You
ticket the day before. and extra half dolla
TO the baggage-man for the privilege of havin
your dog cared for, this not counting tn
cost Of your shells"
81 venture to say remarks local sports
man, II can name four dogs owned in this cit
that will find more quais. make more points
better retrievers, run fewer rabbits and ar
better broken than any four dogs that wer
ever awarded first prize in the national fiel
trials. providing a three days race be run, with
In 1l5 miles OF indianapolis and putting th
dogs down for not less than eight hours eac
day. | will further say the home dogs will b
in better shape the morning of the fourth da
than the fiedtral winners on the morning {
the second. and that our dogs would find NOR
puails on the fourth days hunt than the fel
fegs found in the three days. We want n
jockeyng here when our trials are run. Th
owner must De the handler. aud the prize
awarded to the best dogs regardless of who til
owner is, pedigree or color"
It is suggested that the Legislature shoul
pass a law prohibiting spring shooting Thel
was great scarcity of ducks last fall, and 1t
, fact that there is less shooting each year
The ducks wore left unmoested during the
hight north TO the breeding grounds there wonl
pc good shooting next fall, for every pair kie